Venezuela's President Maduro calls for new constituent body

The new body will be made up of ordinary citizens and would circumvent the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, said such an assembly would be a constitutional fraud. Mr Maduro said the body would defuse the country's political crisis by blocking opponents threatening the country. The National Assembly has been calling for Mr Maduro to resign as the country reels under severe economic hardship. Julio Borges, the president of the country's National Assembly, said the attempt to set up the new constituent assembly was an attempt to destroy Venezuelans' right to vote and another step towards a political coup.